Head of Rosneft's Trading Unit to Join Trafigura
Marcus Cooper, the head of the Swiss-based trading unit of Russia's top oil producer Rosneft is leaving the company to join Swiss commodities trader Trafigura, market sources told Reuters on Thursday.
Cooper, a former veteran of British oil firm BP, which ended up with an almost 20 percent stake in Rosneft after the TNK-BP deal, joined Rosneft in 2013.
Rosneft declined to comment and Trafigura was not immediately available to comment.
Cooper's career change comes as Trafigura has become the biggest buyer from the sanctions-hit Kremlin-controlled oil major, and is expanding its ties with Rosneft.
The sources said in his new role at Trafigura, Cooper will be engaged in dealing with Rosneft.
Over the past year, Trafigura has bought 20 million tonnes of crude oil from Rosneft and the addition of refined products will make it the single biggest corporate buyer of oil from Russia. Only China buys more oil and products from Russia.
(Reporting by Gleb Gorodyankin and Olga Yagova; writing by Vladimir Soldatkin)
